Second Chances (9 page)

The next few hours flew by as she started forming a picture. She'd kept a running tab of products on her notepad adding up stock for the store. The end of her pencil was becoming well chewed as she gnawed on different questions. Cash versus credit? What to buy? What would sell? She needed to talk to someone, but whom? She thumbed through her local phone book. She found two possible stores that she could call tomorrow. That was all she could do for now.

Even in a hot bubble bath, her head ached from the incessant number crunching. Covered from her bright red toenails to her chin in warm soothing water, she let the never ending internal monologue slow and finally ease to a stop.

The phone rang while she was in the bath. She considered running to catch it, then realized intuitively she'd never make it. When she was out of the tub and warm and dry in her pjs, she checked the phone. Again, no message. Probably another telemarketer.

Making herself a cup of tea, she turned back to the store idea. It felt like the right thing to do. She trusted her intuition. That same voice had warned her about Ian, and she'd certainly been correct there. She didn't know yet in what way or form this business idea would play out, but she was willing to see where it would take her.

And she still missed Brian. Over the weekend, she'd developed a sixth sense where he was concerned. Now, she felt like an amputee. Could you feel phantom pain for the loss of an internal presence?

Maybe he'd call—it was still early for some people. Then again, maybe he wouldn't.

There was only silence.

By the end of the next day, Karina was dying to talk to Susan.

"Susan, is that you?" She jammed the phone between her ear and shoulder. Catalogues surrounded her and reams of sheets filled with figures covered her. Mugs had tried sleeping on her lap, only to give up in disgust. Misty, the smarter of the two, had stayed away from the beginning.

"Karina. You're never going to believe what I found today!" Susan's voice bubbled in a continuous stream over the phone. "The perfect location! It's in the same block as my sister's store. Even better, there used to be an excellent toy store there years ago. Even my sister agrees it'd be perfect. It is big, though and I was worried about that to start, but I spoke with the property owner, who owns close to half of buildings in that mall…"

"Oh, but—"

She never got a chance. Susan ran right over her.

"He's interested in seeing another toy store going in there…" The words poured through the line, contagious even over the phone. "In addition, it has a decent bathroom and a good-sized office. It's perfect. We'd need to get paint and some shelving but I think this is definitely it." Susan ended the sentence with a loud whoosh of breath.

Karina started to laugh. "I phoned you," Karina said in between her giggles, "to tell you that I found a wonderful store owner who gave me a huge list of suppliers to deal with. In addition, she sent me home loaded with catalogues to go through. She was fantastic. She gave me advice, hints, tips and shared lots of her start-up woes."

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Susan's voice came across, soft and subdued. "Karina, are we going to do this? Is this for real?"

"I think so. Yes. We still have things to sort out, lawyers to see, finances to arrange, but I really think we can do this."

Quiet reigned, as both women contemplated the big step before them.

"Susan, I think I'll go and talk to my bank manager tomorrow."

"At least then you'll know what your options are. Paul and I need to talk and maybe make an appointment at our bank, too. I honestly don't know where our finances are."

"We both have some thinking to do. The biggest decision is whether it's right for us. Down the road, if one of us wants out, the other could buy her out. But for the first couple of years we'd have to commit to this project together."

"True. Look, let's talk tomorrow after we've both sorted some of the logistics out and we'll see where we are then."

"Good idea. Tomorrow, then."

Karina looked down at the phone. Everything was happening so fast. It scared her, but it also excited her. In as little as six weeks, she could be living in a completely new world.

In the same city as Brian. And without Cat or Serena. She was meeting them both tomorrow at their old favorite lunch spot. The one they'd frequented across from the office building they'd all worked in—before they'd all been laid off.

She couldn't help see how much her life had changed. Was changing. And how much it was still going to change.

What was she getting into?

***

The bustle of the crowded restaurant hit Karina as soon as she stepped inside the door. The lunch crowd had already filled the popular fusion bar and restaurant. Hopefully her friends had arrived early otherwise there'd be no hope of snagging a table today. And she badly needed to sit down and recuperate. Talk about a shitty morning.

"Karina!"

Spotting a tall blonde waving madly at her from the back corner, Karina worked her way to the rear of the restaurant. She grabbed the single empty chair at the table and plunked herself down, so happy to get off her feet. "Hi, Cat. Serena. Wow is this place packed, or what?"

"Serena and I got here about twenty minutes ago," Cat said, tossing back her long blonde hair. She looked Karina over then wrinkled up her face. "You look like you've gone through the wringer. Bad morning?"

Karina laughed.

"I'm going to do it." There, she'd said it. She leaned forward and whispered. "I'm moving to Victoria and starting my own business. Well, a business with Susan."

Serena gasped. "Are you sure?"

Karina grinned at the blank looks on their faces. The shock didn't last long. In tandem both of the girls' faces lit up.

"Wow and double wow. I think we need more wine." Cat didn't waste any time, raising her arm to flag a passing waitress.

Affectionately, Karina studied her friends. Serena was…well, serene. She preferred the constancy and normalcy of routine. Cat, on the other hand, would have made a perfect action-movie heroine. She had so much presence she was hard to overlook. But it wasn't ego. Cat was all about self-confidence. "Yes, Serena I'm sure."

"This is about Brian, isn't it?"

"Yes and no. The business has nothing to do with him. Location also has nothing to do with him. Susan can't move, and I have no reason not to. The rest? Well…"

Cat lifted her goblet to clink with the other women's glasses. "Welcome to change!"

The others laughed and clinked before all taking big sips of wine. Serena chuckled. "Here I thought I was the only one that was at a turning point right now. I'm considering my own business too," she admitted. "Although I'm not going to be as fast at it as you, Karina."

The other two gaped at her.

"What?" Karina stared at her friend. "Why didn't you say so before?" she asked cautiously. She studied her friend's face for a moment, and suddenly knew. "A bookstore, I bet."

Serena smiled.

"In honor of your grandmother?" Serena's grandmother had passed away a year ago, leaving her a nice-sized inheritance. It had devastated Serena, who'd been raised by the older woman. And her grandfather had been an author before he'd passed on years ago.

That startled a laugh out of Serena. "You know me so well."

"Well, consider moving to Victoria to be close to me, then. If you can set up anywhere, Victoria is a great location."

Karina turned to raise a brow at Cat. "And you? What are your plans?" Karina considered how different each of their lives was. Serena, although not wealthy enough to do as she wished in life, had enough set aside from her grandmother to be able to live quite nicely for some time. Catherine, on the other hand, came from a wealthy family and had done government contracts in software security prior to her stint at BB Dominos Securities—where Karina had been in the accounting department.

Cat just smiled. "I'm thinking of doing something really crazy for a while. Not the rest of my life. Just a few months' hiatus."

Serena laughed. "Crazy is what I expect from you. Your brain is the most weird and wonderful thing imaginable. So what is it this time? Secret spy stuff? More high-level security contracts? What?"

As she watched her friend, Karina knew Cat wasn't going to give. She'd share when she was ready—maybe. She was perfect for secret spy stuff. That girl never gave anything away. "Just make sure it's safe, please."

The waitress arrived with another carafe of wine and filled their glasses.

"And this is about moving on with your life. New beginnings. And if that means dealing with our pasts in order to move on…" Cat held up her glass for another toast. "Then so be it. This is our time, now."

Her words held even more impact as forgotten stories of Cat's painful history resurfaced in Karina's mind. Cat had more than a few regrets, herself. Maybe she was planning on dealing with them now, too.

Karina raised her glass. "To change. Whether thrust upon us, chosen, or wanted, we've each reached a turning point in our lives. Let's celebrate and raise a little hell as we walk drunkenly down our chosen paths."

With that, the three knocked back the rest of the wine in their glasses and refilled them once more.

***

She had her first nightmare that night.

Sweat soaked her skin as she lay shuddering to regain her breath. The new horrifying twist on her nocturnal reality terrified her. Logically, she understood what was happening, but that didn't help her emotionally.

Karina propped herself up on her pillows, determined to brush away her sense of helplessness. She could only think that somehow, this mess with Ian had gotten past her defenses to awaken her childhood fears.

Over the years, she'd grown a shell. Not a very thick shell, but one meant to keep out the hurts that life could inflict so indiscriminately. This awareness had developed the essence of who she was. The result was that now, as an adult, she genuinely liked herself. She didn't like many things about her
life
, hence part of her decision to attend the seminar, but she was happy with who she was on the inside. That had to be worth something.

She fell back asleep still pondering.

Hours later, the persistent ringing of the phone disturbed her heavy dreams.

"Hello?" Disoriented, Karina murmured sleepily into the phone.

Heavy breathing echoed over the line. Suddenly wide awake and filled with terror, she bolted upright. "Hello? Who is this?"

"What's the matter, Karina, don't you remember me?"

The phone went dead.

Shit. Not a great way to start her morning.

She stared down at the handset as chills raced down her spine. She closed her eyes, wrapping her arms tightly around her chest. It was Ian. It had to be him. God, that man had given her the chills in university and he was even worse now. She didn't know how he'd gotten her phone number, but with the Internet these days anything was possible. The fact was he had it.

Now what did she do?

The phone rang again, startling her. She stared down around the room as if looking for answers. Should she answer? A flare of anger spiked through the fear. If it was Ian again, maybe the call could be traced or something.

"Karina?"

She gasped. "Brian?"

"Are you all right, Karina? You don't sound too good."

"No. I mean, yes. I'm sorry. I just had a disturbing call." She quickly told him about it. "Instinctively, I want to say it was Ian but I don't know for sure."

"And why would he call you?"

"I don't know," she admitted softly. "But he could have recognized me at the seminar."

There was a thoughtful pause on the line, she could almost see the wheels turning in Brian's head. "I'll call the police and tell them. You might get a call and you might not. At least they'll be in the loop."

"Thank you." And she meant it. She no longer felt so alone. An unruly yawn slipped out. "I had such a bad night and that was before this call."

"Nightmares?"

"Yes," she answered slowly, "Susan and I are making headway on opening a store together and it will mean a move to Victoria. Something I was looking forward to, but…"

"But it's a big change. A lot of upheaval in your life. Yes, I can see that might trigger nightmares."

"I'm female. Worrying is part of our general make-up." She laughed lightly to cover up the struggle to find the words to express what she wanted to say. "Brian…" her voice trailed off.

"What?"

"Do you think he could be
really
dangerous?"